Borts-Medlock, Autumn – “Heartline Horses” Sharp Shoulder Jar

This is an exceptional new water jar by Autumn Borts-Medlock.  She is known for her often fancifully carved pottery.  This piece is entitled “Heartline Horses”.  The jar has a sharp shoulder and elongated neck.  The neck of the jar has four dragonflies carved into the clay and polished red. The jar has two pinto or paint horses carved into the clay and each has a polished mane and a heartline.  They are highlighted with white and red clay slips.  Between the two horses are large flowers and one is carved into the jar and one is in relief.  Note as the well the carved flowers on the neck of each horse!  The opposite side has a large horseshoe for “good luck” with a carved flower. The jar is exceptional in the carving and the polished designs.  The depth of the carving on this jar is among her best!  Autumn said that she wanted to create a piece to reflect her love of horses.  The jar is signed, “Autumn Borts-Medlock”. shoulder and a turned- “These pieces were inspired by watching the clouds at Puye Cliffs (the ancestral home of the Santa Clara people) and at the Pueblo. I wanted to carve into the clay to create multiple layers on each piece.  More importantly, I wanted to create a sense of movement.  I did this through both colorations of the clouds and layers of carving. The cloud colorations combine several colors of clay and are meant to appear as if they are moving and you can see through them.  The birds are captured in flight, amongst the clouds and the cliffs.”